CINCINNATI—Cintas Corp. published its 2023 Sustainability Report, which provides an update on the company’s continued efforts to elevate its corporate, environmental, social and governance impact—People, Planet, Workday. Now in its fourth year, the Report details the company’s performance in the fiscal year 2023, which ended May 31, 2023. View the 2023 Cintas Sustainability Report. “Cintas’ heritage is rooted in our collective commitment to efficiency, innovation, and excellence—and this year was no exception,” said Todd Schneider, President and CEO of Cintas. “We continued to optimize our proprietary SmartTruck technology and moved to the Google Cloud Platform as we doubled down on our...

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues are increasingly prominent in the decision-making processes of investors, consumers, and employees. With societal and environmental issues at the top of the global agenda, the ESG movement has surged in popularity and more people than ever before are considering the wider implications of their choices. However, the rise of ESG issues in the minds of investors and consumers has not been unchallenged. Last year, the backlash against ESG reached fever pitch when Tesla was removed from the S&P 500 ESG Index. It was cut from the indices over concerns about employer safety and worker...

LOS ANGELES—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), the AHLA Foundation, and The BHN Group/Northstar Travel Group announced that Mark Hoplamazian, President and CEO, Hyatt, will be awarded the Arne Sorenson Social Impact Leadership Award. Hoplamazian will be recognized during the AHLA Foundation’s fundraising gala, Night of a Thousand Stars on Sunday, January 21, as well as during the 23rd annual Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) on Tuesday, January 23. “Mark’s tenure at the helm of Hyatt is not just inspiring, it’s a testament to his remarkable leadership and aptitude for empathy. Beyond the boardroom, he’s championed countless initiatives that raise...

HORSHAM, PA.—Sofidel, a leading global provider of paper products, earned two Recycled Content Certifications from GreenCircle Certified. Sofidel’s Poly Bundle and Poly Inner packaging both received the Recycled Content Certification. The Poly Bundle and Poly Inner packaging is available for professional, consumer and private label Sofidel paper products. “GreenCircle Certified is a reliable third-party certification that utilizes thorough assessments and verification to back up sustainability claims,” said Franco DiFelice, Product Office and Innovation Director, Sofidel America. “Labels like this further prove to customers that we’re first and foremost committed to environmental protection in our manufacturing.” The Recycled Content Certification recognizes products comprised...

GATLINBURG, TENN.—Running Rock Eco Resort, now under construction, will soon be a groundbreaking net-zero, eco-friendly, and nature-focused resort nestled in the Smoky Mountains. From its own mountaintop on a 260 acre property overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the resort offers more than a mile of mountaintop views, a mile long meandering stream, and a stunning 40-foot cascade. Opening in 2025, it promises an unmatched and sustainable experience of nature’s beauty tucked away among the best of the southern Appalachians. Running Rock Eco Resort is intentionally devoted to sustainability and reverence for its pristine tapestry of untouched nature. The owners, Jake...

SWORDS, IRELAND—Trane Technologies, a global climate innovator, has been named to Corporate Knights’ 2024 Global 100, recognized as the leader in the Building Products industry and ranking 23rd overall. Emphasizing the impact of a company’s core products and services, the Global 100 is one of the world’s most valued and transparent sustainability ratings. To determine its rankings, over 6,000 companies were assessed across 25 key performance indicators including sustainable investment, carbon productivity and racial and gender diversity. “Corporate Knights’ Global 100 only includes companies that make sustainable solutions a core part of their business, complimenting Trane Technologies’ long-embedded and industry-differentiating strategy,” said Paul...

MADRID, SPAIN—In a joint effort to promote sustainability in the Travel & Tourism sector, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Biosphere have inked a partnership to promote sustainability criteria in the hotel industry under the Hotel Sustainability Basics initiative. In the current landscape of globalization and information saturation, where sustainability holds paramount importance, the proliferation of new standards and eco-labels poses a significant challenge for the sector. Identifying clear and consistent sustainability criteria has become increasingly difficult. Biosphere and WTTC have joined forces and solidified their commitment to fostering a more sustainable hotel industry to establish fundamental steps for...

BENTON HARBOR, MICH.—Whirlpool Corp. announced that it has entered into agreements with One Energy to add onsite wind and solar power at its Findlay and Clyde, Ohio operations. The company currently has nine onsite wind turbines at four of its Ohio plants in Findlay, Marion, Greenville, and Ottawa. Combined, those turbines supply 22 percent of the electrical needs for those facilities. These two projects are among the largest behind-the-meter renewable energy projects in the U.S., and once complete will ensure the Clyde and Findlay plants receive at least 70 percent of their energy needs from onsite renewable energy. The expansion project...

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND—South Pole’s latest annual Net Zero Report found that the majority of surveyed companies in nine of the 14 major sectors are intentionally decreasing their climate communications, otherwise known as “greenhushing”, first evidenced by South Pole in 2022. This year’s report, which surveyed over 1,400 companies with dedicated sustainability leads, across 12 countries and 14 sectors, takes a closer look at companies choosing to not publicize their climate strategies or goals and deliberately decrease or cease external communications around them. The report confirms, for the first time, that the trend of greenhushing is present across nearly every major sector around the...

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—BeCause, the technology start-up transforming how the global hospitality, travel and tourism industries manage their sustainability data, announced an expanded partnership with hubli, the leading online marketplace and booking platform for corporate meetings, events and group hotel lodging. This partnership will allow hubli to add an ever-growing list of over 25,000 eco-labelled hotels on its platform, giving clients better visibility on a hotel’s environmental footprint and allowing them to book options that comply with their environmental, social and governance policies. With the BeCause sustainability API, hubli will be able to collect sustainability data from over sixty Travalyst-recognized certifications and automatically map it...